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TOI : PUNE: Rail traffic between Pune and Mumbai was disrupted for more than three hours following leak of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from one of the tankers of a goods train between Dapodi and Khadki on Sunday around 7.30 am. The leak was brought under control by a team of engineers and technicians of the petroleum company.

The goods train with 32 tankers was going from Panvel to Bhilwadi near Sangli. Each tanker was filled with 37 tonnes of LPG.

According to railway and fire brigade officials, it was the train driver who first noticed the leakage. He informed the station master at Khadki railway station, and the railway officials alerted the fire brigades of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations. The petroleum company was also asked to send its team for stopping the leak.

Since the goods train was loaded with tankers full with LPG, the railway authorities decided to take it to the railway yard at Ghorpadi. The train reached the yard around 9.30 am. At the yard, the engineers and technicians of the petroleum company detected the leak, which was from a valve, and managed to stop it within half an hour. Around 10.30 am the train resumed its journey towards Bhilwadi.

The incident led to total disruption of rail traffic on the section for over three hours. Long-distance trains Kolhapur-Mumbai Sahyadri Express and Hyderabad-Mumbai Express were detained at Khadki and Shivajinagar stations, respectively. Suburban local trains were running late by over two hours. More Stories from this section Astra air-to-air missile makes first flight in city Author Deshpande passes away at 83 Varsities can’t avoid controlling engg colleges: Secy Painter, minor held for mu…More

TOI : PUNE: With three crore people homeless and the building industry consuming 40% of the world’s energy production, our planetary home will, in time, be irreversibly damaged, said G Vasudev, Ashden award-winner, speaking at a function in the city on Sunday. There is, however, the efficient alternative of sustainable technology to mitigate the problem, he added.

Vasudev was speaking on Sustainable development with the help of limited resources’, organised by NGOs Sajag Nagrik Manch and Nisarga Sevak.

Building one’s house can be a form of eco-yoga’ said Vasudev, a water conservation expert, and this would benefit the entire planet. “Use things differently, do not use different things,” he said.

On the emerging model of sustainable technology, he pointed out that there will be pioneers, trendsetters and social models who will see environmental and spiritual wisdom in a simpler life. And will see economic merit in environmental conservation, making man responsible for his actions.

Vasudev stressed on the indigenous medical system. “The Indian medical system has a holistic conception of the human body that is both cosmic and individualistic. For every human being, a herbal being’ based on locally available herbs, can be constructed, he said.

Vasudev touched on various aspects. According to him, 40% of the world’s population clashes over water rights and this percentage will likely increase. Thus, there is a need to revive the community-based conservation system and coordinate this through the action of NGOs and government agencies.

On farming practices, Vasudev said that there is a need to expand the food basket. The cultural traditions and awareness of genetic diversity will help conserve native genomes against monocultures of the mind and genes and expand the food basket.

Farming practices should include efficient harvesting of sunlight, bio-diversity, efficient water management, integrated nutrient management and integrated pest management, he added. More Stories from this section Astra air-to-air missile makes first flight in…More

TOI : PUNE: At the heart of the stray dog problem of the city is the administrative tussle between the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the NGOs who sterilise these dogs.

The Animal Birth Control and Anti Rabies (ABC&AR) programme was launched by the AWBI in 1994. As part of the programme, two NGOs were appointed in the PMC and PCB areas respectively for sterilising and neutering stray dogs, the payment for which was to be done by the AWBI.

The programme aims to control spread of rabies and reduce stray dog menace by controlling birth using scientific methods. The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (SPCA) does the work in PCB areas while dogs in PMC areas are treated by the Blue Cross Society. The SPCA claims it has not received funds for last two years while the Blue Cross have not received grants since 2008.

According to the data available with the two NGOs, yearly at least 3,000 dogs are neutered in the PMC and PCB areas collectively. The SPCA officials said the grants are not available since last two years, but they are continuing with the sterlisations work. “We get Rs 370 for sterilising each dog. The last payment from AWBI was received two years back,” said Umakant Gaur, secretary the SPCA, adding, “on an average 40 dogs are neutered in PCB areas per month.”

Asked how they manage their finances without the grant, Gaur said that donations’ is the only source. “Animal lovers and individuals contribute to the cause,” he said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Vijay Paranjpye, chairman of Blue Cross, said, “The funds are not available from AWBI since 2008. It is putting a lot of financial burden on us. It is because of the Catch Vaccinate Neuter and Rescue programme (CVNR) of PMC that we are able to deal with the problem of stray dog. This is the…More

TOI : PUNE: Twenty-three officers, including eight from other countries, of the 100th Basic Engineering Course (BEC) passed out of the Naval College of Engineering at INS Shivaji on Saturday after successful completion of the three-year training programme.

The passing out parade was reviewed by Vice Admiral N N Kumar, admiral superintendent Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The Admiral and the Commanding Officer Commodore D M Deshpande are both alumni of the 33rd and 46th BEC respectively.

The officers were conferred with B Tech degrees during the valedictory function held at Menaka lecture hall of INS Shivaji. In addition to the regular engineering curriculum the officers were subjected to various outdoor and adventure activities during their vacation. As part of training, the officers interacted with various industries, reputed engineering colleges including IITs and presented technical papers.

Among the eight foreign officers who completed the course, five belong to the Sri Lankan Navy and three are from Maldives National Security Service.

Sub Lt Deepak Ahlawat received the award for best all-round officer and Lt D Ameer Basha was rewarded for securing first position in overall order of the merit. Lt Ronil Chowdhary received the prize for positive living. More Stories from this section Astra air-to-air missile makes first flight in city Author Deshpande passes away at 83 Varsities can’t avoid controlling engg colleges: Secy Painter, minor held for mu…More

TOI : PUNE: Ever thought your car is not designed for you. May it be the seat specifications, legroom or the headroomthe excitement of driving can soon be negated by design traits that leave you feeling that you are a misfit’ for your vehicle.

With this thought in mind, city-based Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), an industrial research organisation, has started work on a study to come up with India-specific anthropometric data (information resulting from scientific study of measurements of the human body) for the country’s driving population. The project which started in May this year will be completed by September 2010.

According to ARAI, the present settings in vehicles are not suitable for Indians even as leg space, headroom, view of bonnet from seat doesn’t match Indian sizes.

The end result of this data will determine dimensions for height of the seat, legroom, headroom, foot room and pedal size, and can be pivotal in reducing fatigue and enhancing efficiency. Interestingly, such a data was never made available for India before.

“The manufacturers in India presently do not have a set standard and hence these specifications are done on judgement or on customer feedback,” said C V Ghaisas, assistant director of PSL.

This is one of the fundamental data generation works taken up by Passive Safety Lab (PSL) of ARAI and is funded by the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Under this project, we are targeting 5,000 Indian citizens in the age group of 18 and 60 years whose physical attributes will be measured and dimensions drawn,” said project head A V Mannikar. The anthropometric data includes height, weight and key physical specifications of users, which are further analysed to develop a standard.

In fact, the ARAI has already taken 600 measurements from western India and have installed a scanning machine in Gurgaon for gathering measurements from northern region. The measurements will be taken from…More

TOI : PUNE: A few showers are likely in some parts of the state including Pune in the next couple of days, predicts the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The daily weather report of IMD says that “rains or thundershowers” are likely in Pune in the next 48 hours with cloudy conditions prevailing for the next 24 hours. A well-marked low pressure area lies over Lakshadweep and neighbourhood. Besides cyclonic circulation extends up to mid-tropospheric levels, which is likely to result into a depression.

Highlighting the possibility of rain, the IMD officials pointed out that these conditions “will cause fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy spells over south Peninsular India. The rainfall belt is likely to extend into Maharashtra, Goa and adjoining Gujarat from Monday onwards.”

Since the start of this post-monsoon season (from October 1 to January 1), the city received 21 mm more rainfall than normal (83 mm). Calendar-wise, rainfall between June 1 and September 30 is known as monsoon rainfall; between October 1 and January 1 is post-monsoon rains while the rainfall between January 1 and June 1 is the pre-monsoon rainfall.

The country as a whole has witnessed a bad monsoon this year. Even the post-monsoon season has not proved very exciting for country as a whole, which got 13 per cent less rainfall. The normal expected rainfall between October 1 and November 4 was 84 mm while actual rainfall during this period is 72.7 mm, the data available with the IMD said. More Stories from this section Astra air-to-air missile makes first flight in city Author Deshpande passes away at 83 Varsities can’t avoid controlling engg colleges: Secy Painter, minor held for mu…More

TOI : PUNE: A two-minute silence in memory of noted writer and wife of Pu La Deshpande, Sunita Deshpande, who passed away on Saturday, marked the inauguration of the seventh edition of the Pulotsav’ before a packed audience on Sunday.

An annual event organised by the Aashay Sanskrutik in memory of renowned litterateur and humourist P L Deshpande or Pu La as he was popularly known, the festival was inaugurated by actor Nana Patekar in the presence of Narendra Jadhav, member of the Planning Commission and former vice-chancellor of the University of Pune and popular writer Meena Prabhu on the New English School ground on Tilak road.

The festival, which is on till November 18, promises a bouquet of offerings including music, art, theatre, literature, documentaries and some other cultural programmes.

This year’s festivities, however, will miss the presence of Sunita Deshpande. “Her contribution to the festival has been immense. We had even a second thoughts about holding the festival just days after her demise. But both Sunitabai and Bhai (P L Deshpande) believed that the show must go on, and this sentiment was echoed by their family members,” said Virendra Chitrav, festival director. “Both Pu La and Sunitabai were part of Aashay Sanskrutik and we never envisaged a day where we would start the festival the day after she passed away,” said Satish Jakatdar, festival director.

In his speech, Jadhav, who had come all the way from New Delhi for the function, said that he was glad that this is his first public function since he was appointed on the Planning Commission. “My wife and I have been associated with the Pulotsav for a long time. So, we had to be here this year too. It is admirable to see new programmes being introduced at the Pulotsav every year and that is exactly what Sunitabai wanted, a festival that turns younger by the year,” he said,…More

TOI : PUNE: The tasks for the Pune Metropolitan Development Authority (PMRDA) are already identified. Though the PMRDA is yet to come into formal existence, the authorities have begun preliminary work on some of the priority areas, which include planning for traffic and transportation, water sharing, and solid waste management.

Another important task before the authority is preparation of a revised regional plan for an area spread over 3,000 sq km. The 30-member metropolitan planning committee (MPC), elected last year, has decided to prepare a fresh regional plan by integrating the development plans of the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, as well as municipal councils of Lonavla, Talegaon and Daund.

Official sources said that a proposal has been sent to the state government for undertaking a traffic and transportation’ study, which would help in identifying the options for transportation needs for the next 20 years, not just in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, but in the entire metropolitan region which extends from Lonavla to Daund. The study report would be discussed by MPC.

Sadhana Naik, convenor of the MPC and deputy director of town planning, said that as traffic and transportation is a specialised area, an agency would be appointed for conducting the studies and surveys. The agency would consider the traffic and transportation works proposed/implemented by the Pune and the Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations. The study would also come up with funding options for the traffic and transportation projects. Incidentally, the state urban development department has already asked the Central Railways to use diesel multiple units from Lonavla to Pune and further up to Daund, without waiting for electrification of the line from Pune to Daund, which would take at least three years.

For water sharing, the government is banking on help from the irrigation department. Problems related to water shortage in the metropolitan region are to be mitigated by schemes funded by the central and state governments. The…More

TOI : PUNE: A platoon of 30 commandos of the Pune rural police, and about 40 friends of Amit Chikali, brother of the missing engineer Kavita Chikali (28), conducted a massive search on the Sinhagad fort on Saturday. However, the whereabouts of Kavita still appears uncertain.

A resident of Chandannagar, Kavita, an engineer with the Seco Tools, located at Koregaon-Bhima on Pune-Ahmednagar highway, mysteriously went missing from the Sinhagad fort where she had gone for a trek with her colleagues on Thursday. There were 32 people in the group.

After she went missing, a team of the Pune rural police, with the help of around 40 trekkers from various groups and the local residents, has been carrying out search operations since Thursday evening. A search operation was conducted on Friday as well, but no clues has been recovered so far. On late Friday evening, the police had stopped the search operation for the day.

Speaking to TOI, sub-divisional police officer (Haveli division) Ravindrasinh Paradeshi said, “We resumed the search operation on Saturday morning. We have pressed our 30 commandos in the operation. Moreover, around 40 friends of Kavita’s brother also joined the hunt. Till late evening we searched the entire fort. We have also conducted searches on and around the road heading towards the fort. But, no clues have been found so far.”

Pardeshi added: “We will continue our search till we managed to trace any clue of Kavita. We are investigating the case from all possible angles.” More Stories from this section PMRDA has its job cut out Pulotsav begins minus Sunita Deshpande Rain showers likely in next 48 hours S…More

TOI : PUNE: Charles Darwin is coming to town. The life and works of the legendary English naturalist will be shown at an exhibition organised by the British Library from November 10 to 29. Titled Darwin Now’, the exhibition explores Darwin’s life, his ground-breaking theory and the continuing relevance of his ideas.

It also sheds light on contemporary reactions to Darwin’s theory of evolution and how fields as diverse as geology and economics influenced his thinking.

The exhibition will be shown in over 25 countries worldwide throughout 2009, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth (February 12) and the 150th year of the publication of On the Origin of Species’ (on November 24).

“People should know about the Darwinian theory, especially students and those from the field of sciences. That’s why we invited students from some 60 schools and 80 colleges, along with people from 12 science organisations in the city,” says V Sugandhi, assistant librarian at the British Library.

In order to further understand various aspects of Darwinian theory and the pure sciences, several events have been lined up at the British Library during the exhibition.

Madhav Gadgil, a life member of the Agarkar Research Institute will deliver a talk on Evolutionary progress: Relative roles of competition and co-operation’ at 6 pm on November, while Milin Watve, faculty member of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, will talk on health, Darwinian medicine and microbiology on November 10.

A session on making science toys will be carried out by Arvind Gupta of the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) on November 21. Children can also look forward to an exciting quiz on pure sciences on November 22.

An origami workshop by Mandar Lele, a faculty member of VIT, will be held on November 29. Darwin Now’ will be inaugurated by actress Sonali Kulkarni at 6 pm on November…More